No fuss Air Fryer Pork Chops (no breading) with an easy cabbage apple salad! Made in the air fryer in 20 minutes and come out crispy and browned on the outside while being juicy and tender on the inside. Served with a quick salad for a simple and flavorful healthy meal that is paleo, Whole30, gluten free, and low carb.
It’s been a hot second since I shared an air fryer recipe with you guys! It’s by far my favorite appliance as of right now. We use it multiple times a week so I figured it’s time to show it some more love. And I get so many questions about it on Instagram when I’m using it making dinner, especially when showing these air fryer pork chops!
Or French fries, because let’s be real, we make them 3-4 times a week haha.
We’ve been making pork chops in the air fryer for months now. I don’t know about you, but whenever I try to make pork chops on the stove or in the oven, they never come out right.
Maybe I’m doing it wrong or not patient enough, but they are either too dry or not cooked enough. And they take forever to cook (especially when using ButcherBox ones that are about 1 1/2 inches thick)!
Enter the air fryer method and I no longer have that problem! They get crispy and browned on the outside, are juicy in the middle, and cooked perfectly every single time. And ready in 20 minutes without you having to do much work.
I absolutely love making these during the week for a quick and easy dinner. The air fryer does all the work for you and while they cook, I usually whip up a veggie or carb to pair with them.
Air Fryer Pork Chops (No Breading!)
These air fryer pork chops with cabbage apple salad make a great quick and easy dinner! 5 minutes of prep time and while the pork cooks, you make the cabbage apple salad. Packed with protein, veggies, and some healthy fats for a healthy paleo and Whole30 meal.
Here is what you need:
-
- 2 large boneless pork chops – we love ButcherBox ones!
- 1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- salt and pepper, to taste
First mix together the dijon, balsamic, lemon juice, and spices in a small bowl. Pat dry the pork chops and cover with the sauce. Place directly in the air fryer basket, set to 400 degrees, and cook for 18 minutes.
How long to cook Pork Chops in the Air Fryer
The time will vary depending on how thick your pork chops are. Ours are fat boys – about 1 1/2 inches thick – and 18 minutes at 400 degrees keeps them juicy in the inside and while getting nice and browned on the outside. I like to set it for 10 minutes, flip them over, and then set it for another 8 more minutes to make sure both sides are evenly browned. Feel free to adjust the time depending on how thick yours are.
Also, I never preheat my air fryer. I know others do (like an oven), but I never do it and don’t have any problems, so don’t see the need for it. My mom never believed in preheating the oven anyways – thought it was a waste of electricity lol.
I have a large air fryer and can easily fit 4 or more pork chops (if you wanted to double the recipe). I would not suggest stacking meat in your air fryer as you won’t get the same crispiness and browning on all sides. If needed, do in 2 batches.
Cabbage Apple Salad
Pork chops are usually a pretty hearty and heavy dish, so I figured why not lightening it up some with a refreshing salad. I absolutely love apples with pork chops and both of them go great with cabbage too. Enter this easy cabbage apple salad that pairs so well with the air fryer pork chops.
Here is what you need:
- cabbage
- apple
- raisins
- almonds
- lemon juice
- balsamic vinegar
- mustard
- cinnamon
- ginger
- salt and pepper
While the pork chop cooks, cup up the cabbage and apples add them to a medium size bowl. Next, mix together the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl. Add the dressing to the cabbage and apples and mix well to combine. Adjust according to taste.
The apple and almonds add some crunch. The raisin add some chewiness and give it a little sweetness to help balance out the balsamic and lemon juice. And it comes together with mustard, cinnamon, and ginger, incorporating the flavors from the pork chops!
More Healthy Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Boneless Buffalo Wings – honestly one of our favorite air fryer recipes!
Crispy Garlic Rosemary Potatoes
More Easy Whole30 Recipes
Burger Salad with Special Sauce Dressing
Harissa Salmon Burgers with Harissa Aioli
Air Fryer Pork Chops with Cabbage Apple Salad
Ingredients
Air Fryer Pork Chops
- 2 boneless pork chops (about 7 ounces each/1 1/2 inches thick)
- 1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- salt and pepper, to taste
Cabbage Apple Salad
- 3 cups shredded cabbage (230 grams) (I used purple cabbage)
- 1/2 large green apple, cut into matchsticks (100 grams)
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- 2 tablespoons almonds, roughly chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make your pork chops. In a small bowl mix together the mustard, balsamic, lemon, garlic, and ginger. Evenly coat the pork chops on both sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in your air fryer basket, close drawer, and set to 400 degrees for 18 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Cooking time will depend on how thick your pork chops are.
- While the pork cooks, make the salad. Add the cabbage, apples, raisins, and almonds in a medium bowl. Mix together the lemon juice, balsamic, mustard, ginger, cinnamon, and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add to the cabbage mixture and mix well to combine. Adjust according to taste.
- Once pork is done, serve with cabbage apple salad and enjoy!
Nutrition
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Can’t wait to try these when we get out Butcher box order
Yes, their pork chops are the best!!
Thanks for making these for me while I’m down here
You are welcome 🙂
These pork chops are SO GOOD!! Even my kids loved them. And I will honestly not cook pork chops another way. The pork chops I had were a bit thinner and it was easy to adjust the time and they were delicious. Not dry at all.
Yay!! I am the same way now, I will not do it another way! So glad everyone loved them – thanks for trying them Katy!
Thanks for sharing! We didn’t have any Dijon but had brown mustard, so that’s what I used and the chops turned out great! They were about 1” thick and we did 15 minutes.
Love that substitution! So glad they turned out – thanks for trying them Kate!
They were really good the pork is tasty and juicy 😛
Yes! So glad you tried them when we were gone!
After watching these being cooked many times on Kelly’s instagram and drooling over how good they looked, I finally decided to try them today. Wow! I never would have thought my air fryer could make the best pork chops I’ve ever cooked so easy and delicious! Super easy and quick recipe to follow-will definitely be incorporating this into our weekly meals now! Even my husband who is used to drowning any kind of meat in sauce ate it without anything! Thank you for the simple but delicious recipe!
Yay! So glad you guys loved them Laura! And LOL on the husband, glad he liked them too! Thank you for trying them!
I made this a few nights ago and they are definitely a keeper!! So so good!! I decided to roast the cabbage but the pork chops were so tender and had great flavor!!
Yay, so glad you liked the pork chops! It’s our favorite way of making them. Thanks for trying Olivia!
These were the BEST pork chops I have ever had!!! So easy and so yummy!
Yay! So glad you like them Olivia! They are a favorite in our house! Thank you for trying them!
I just made these with my BB chops and they are delicious!!
Yes!! My favorite pork chops! Glad you enjoyed Elizabeth!
I was so excited when I got my air fryer because I had been dying to make these! Did not disappoint, have made them multiple times now!
Yay! They are one of our favorite things to make in the air fryer as well!
Thank you for the recipe on the pork chops in the air fryer. We did them last night and all 3 kids plus the husband LOVED them! We polished off the leftovers today and will be making them in the air fryer like this from now on. Need to get the rest of the ingredients to try the slaw next time!
So happy to hear that Tina, they are so easy right?! Glad everyone enjoyed!
This pork chop recipe is amazing! I made it two nights in a row. I adjusted the time on my air fryer too. I’ll never make pork chops another way again!!
It’s my favorite method too! Glad you enjoyed Alex!
This recipe was so quick and easy to make… and came out delicious! I have been dying for the perfect coleslaw and the balsamic/mustard/cinnamon dressing was the exact combination I’ve been craving!
So glad you liked it Allison!! Thank you for trying!
New go to recipe for pork chops! Comes out perfect every time!
Yay – they are our favorite way to do them too!